Smallholder farmers Adoption of Integrated Pest Management Practices under Changing Climate in Morogoro District Council, Tanzania

Abstract

Climate variability in Morogoro District has increased pest occurrence and reduced crop productivity. Despite government efforts to promote integrated pest management (IPM), adoption among farmers remains constrained. This study aimed to understand smallholder farmers adoption of IPM practices under changing climate in Morogoro District, Tanzania. A convergent parallel mixed-methods research design was employed. Simple random sampling was used to select 387 household heads engaged in crop farming. Purposive sampling was used to select 8 key informants for in-depth interviews and 24 participants for focus group discussions. The in-depth interview with key informants, focus group discussions and a household questionnaire survey were used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyses quantitative data on farmers' perceptions of IPM and factors influencing IPM adoption using the IBM SPSS Statistics Version 20, while qualitative data were analysed using content analysis through NVivo Version 11. The results indicated that respondents had a moderate perception of IPM practices, with an overall mean score of 3.04. The most adopted IPM practices among farmers included crop rotation, resistant crop varieties, intercropping, and careful pesticide use. The binary logistic regression model results show that education, sex, access to extension services, membership in farmer groups, and access to financial support significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the adoption of IPM practices. The study concludes that farmers in Morogoro District had moderate perceptions and adoption of IPM practices. It recommends that the government strengthen extension services, financial support, and climate-responsive interventions to enhance farmers’ IPM adoption.